Author: Andy Chasse

Andy is a freelance writer who usually writes about fitness, but recently decided to start covering games for fun. He loves his Vita, enjoys doing just one more run, and is desperately waiting for No Man's Sky to have real content.

“Who the hell built this place? There are so many insane robots and other hostile contraptions here!” This line from RIVE’s protagonist sums it all up.

RIVE is a game that doesn’t do much to sell itself to the player. Rather, it’s almost as if you have to sell yourself to RIVE, to prove that you’re worthy enough to experience all that it has to offer. It demands much of you and it won’t settle for any less than your full attention, even for a second. It requires a combination of patience, memory, quick reflexes, determination, finger endurance, and more. If you’re lacking in even a single area, you’re going to have a tough time.

It’s hard not to admire the sheer gall of RIVE’s expectations. It’s a mercilessly difficult experience that requires a blend of platforming and twin-stick shooting excellence on your part. One second, you’re forced to navigate an increasingly tricky maze of tight tunnels as lava licks your heels. The next, you’re floating in a gravity ball fending off a swarm of drone attackers while trying not to hit the edge and falling to an electrifying end. This constant back and forth dynamic frequently left me death-gripping my controller, anxious about what kind of scenario I might encounter next. How many times would I have to die to get through it?

These elements create a fluid and exciting romp that’s genuinely fun to take part in…until it’s not. But we’ll get to that shortly. RIVE’s beautiful and detailed cyberpunk environments compound the experience, and it’s truly a joy to roll, jump, and spin through the twelve expansive campaign missions, even though there’s not much of a story. RIVE keeps it simple in this department: you’re Roughshot, a loot-happy salvager in a spider tank, and you’re trying to escape a ship. Roughshot’s a likeable guy, and I often found myself smiling at his amusingly self-aware lines and cynical sense of humor. Of course, there’s also an ever-present bad guy there to spoil your fun—he just wants to test his toys against you and watch you burn.

And trust me, you’re going to burn. A lot. I appreciate tough play that makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something spectacular when I finally prevail, and I know I’m not alone in that. With RIVE, however, victory was more synonymous with relief than with accomplishment. It wasn’t that I managed to nail the timing on my special attack or execute the perfect spin dodge, but rather that I lucked out on my 18th (or 40th) attempt. Too frequent single-shot deaths and a view that’s a little too zoomed in make your life even more difficult. Regular checkpoints help, but they have the tendency to put you in obnoxious situations.

Truth be told, I had a much different review written in my head at the game’s halfway point. I managed to sail through the first six chapters without the urge to slam my controller through the wall. It was great, but it didn’t last. The difficulty ramped up exponentially through the latter half of the game, turning a tough but enjoyable battle into a slog that didn’t sit well with me. RIVE features an easy mode that you can flip on at any time, but I shouldn’t feel driven to click that option.

RIVE’s upgrade system makes the process of die-die-die-die-get-lucky more bearable, and though it’s not deep enough to make you feel legitimately rewarded, it does increase your survivability. You’ll gain access to powerful special weapons that can pop you out of a tough spot, but they rely on pick-ups to use. They never seem to be around when you need them, and I often found myself holding on to my attacks for just the right moment. Additionally, you have the ability to hack robots that heal you or fight at your side, which is a nice touch. I won’t argue that they’re much appreciated additions, but they’re too linear to feel satisfying.

For those of you who can’t help but embrace your inner masochist, there’s also a speed run mode that opens up after you beat the game. And, of course, you have the ability to replay levels with the goal of posting higher and higher scores, visible via a global leaderboard. It’s added replayability for the more hardcore crowd, but probably won’t be touched by a sizable group of players.

VERDICT

RIVE is unapologetically itself. It’s action-packed and tough as nails from start to finish. It never lets up. On one hand, that type of attitude deserves commendation because it’s so upfront and offered with no remorse. On the other hand, though, it’s going to push some gamers a touch too far, over the edge of manageably difficult and into the pit of too brutal to keep going. Those that do push on can expect an adventure filled with playful quips and one pretty level after the next. It’s on the short side at around four to six hours—depending on your skill level—but there’s always the option of replaying levels to rise up the leaderboard. Approach RIVE with all of this in mind, and you might just have a good time. But don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Airships: Conquer the Skies brings back childhood memories. Not of video games, but of Lego. As a kid, I spent hours and hours fiddling with those blocks, trying to construct the ultimate house, or spaceship, or whatever else my imagination conjured. Sometimes, I didn’t want to do much else with my day – I just wanted to Lego it up. I find myself similarly enamored with this steampunk strategy title.

Airships gives you the freedom to exercise your creativity in a way that actually matters, and I so appreciate that. A large chunk of the game centers around piecing together airships and equipping them to withstand the rigors of a combat mission deep inside enemy territory. A lengthy tutorial introduces you to the concepts of building and combat, and it seems simple enough. The fact that I’m able to say that speaks to the accessibility of the game, because Airships actually isn’t simple at all. It follows the popular phrase: easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Other than the imposition of a few basic ship requirements and a budget, you’re free to build your ships as you please. It’s a balancing game of weight versus float, speed and turning ability versus armor, and much more. How much coal should you carry? What about ammo? Do you want marines so you can board enemy ships? If you’re like me, you’re going to ask yourself these questions when you should be trying to fall asleep. And as far as I can tell, there’s no wrong way to build a ship. There seem to be advantages to using certain designs, but it all comes down to what you’re using the ship for and what type of situation you’re sending it into.

When you finally finish scrapping together your dream ship, you’re probably going to want to create another right away. That’s perfect – you’re going to need more than one ship, anyway. The current single player experience sends you into a conquest-style game with the goal of capturing every location on the map. To do this, you’ll need to coordinate not just one fleet of ships, but multiple fleets that have the capability to out-gun or out-maneuver a variety of enemy ships and defenses. This building and assembly is only one part of Airships, though. I mean, what good is an airship that doesn’t get used and abused?

Combat in Airships is heavily influenced by your preparation prior to initiating a fight, but it still requires an active hand and a watchful eye. You’re able to issue commands to your ship and your crew, and you’ll have to do both well to succeed. It actually feels quite similar to FTL: Faster Than Light, especially with the ability to pause combat at any time. If a fire breaks out in the engine room, you need to issue quick orders to shift the focus to firefighting. Similarly, if an enemy bomber manages to gain a height advantage over one of your ships, you better zip out of their firing range. Other factors like boarding, ramming, resource management, and the fact that all terrain and ships are fully destructible all serve to spice up the combat.

It’s an all-around enjoyable, fluid, and engaging experience that keeps you focused and in the zone. Plus, watching your little pixel crew members frantically run around and shout out their misfortunes is endlessly entertaining. At times, however, I found it difficult to weigh my chances of victory. Spies allow you a peek at enemy defenses, but their fleet strength isn’t always obvious. It takes some trial and error to nail it down, and of course, practice makes perfect.

Although the title suggests that airships are the only focus, that’s not actually true. You have the option of diversifying your fleet with slow but powerful landships, and they provide a fun twist that broadens the scope of warfare. That’s not all, either. A strong fleet is useless without a base of operations, so you’ll have to construct defensive structures to protect your cities. The process plays out just like airship and landship creation, although it’s slightly less satisfying since you can’t actually control your buildings.

If for whatever reason you’re not interested in playing conquest, you do have access to a standalone editor that allows you to send ships into scenarios of your choosing. It’s a great way to test ship designs and fighting strategies before committing to a conquest game. Still, even with both of these modes, a dedicated campaign would be a welcome addition. Outside of single player, there’s a multiplayer option that pits players against each other. This preview doesn’t take into account that aspect of the game, but it’s definitely promising, especially with Airships’ respectable amount of tactical and creative depth. LAN party, anyone?

EARLY ACCESS VERDICT

Airships: Conquer the Skies might not be the prettiest on the outside, but it’s a marvel on the inside. It contains a wealth of content for an early access game, and it’s good content. Ship construction and combat are easy to pick up, but they’re deep enough to satisfy the needs of a dedicated strategy gamer. More importantly, Airships reaches in and plucks out your creative spirit, no matter its size.

When you see a name like In Celebration of Violence, along with a patch note that mentions adding more blood because “it was necessary”, you know you’re in for a good time. Or, at the very least, a unique experience. In Celebration of Violence delivers both, but it’s not without flaws.

In Celebration of Violence takes top-down gameplay, careful hack and slash combat and classic RPG elements, sprinkles in a handful of intriguing mechanics, covers it with a shroud of mystery, and stuffs it all into a single package. There’s a lot going on for an indie game created by one guy, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

After a few hours of play, I have to say that In Celebration of Violence does one thing really well: it establishes an atmosphere that perfectly aligns with the title. The music is grim, and creates a sense of foreboding that makes me expect violence around every corner. And honestly, that’s not far from the truth. Plus, a game with violence in the title needs blood, and you get to splatter gobs of it all over the procedurally-generated, watercolor-like environments with hilariously oversized weapons.

The violence is real in this game, and I appreciate that there are no buts about it. The same can’t be said across the board, though. I encountered a but for almost every positive aspect that I experienced. These buts didn’t ruin my time with the game, but I can’t say they didn’t sour it some.

Combat happens in real time, and it forces you to approach encounters with a patient mindset and steady hands. Attacks need to be aimed and take time to wind-up – I’ve experienced up to about three seconds with large weapons – and they can’t be canceled. You learn to time your attacks carefully and around the movements of your enemies. Combined with two defensive actions in the form of dodge and parry along with a strong and weak attack, combat becomes a delicate dance that requires rigorous control, though it does feel mildly sluggish at times.

Unfortunately, there’s another element that almost entirely undermines that otherwise beautiful dance. Combat rarely occurs in a one on one or one on two sphere. Rather, you often have to deal with groups of three, four, or even five enemies at a time. That precise, timing-based combat we talked about earlier shines with an enemy or two, but not with more than that. This shifts the slow, thoughtful combat system into more of a frantic brawl, and it’s a gameplay contradiction that doesn’t make much sense. I’d say this is my biggest problem with In Celebration of Violence.

As with other popular roguelike titles, items play a vital role in your survival. Normally, I’d use this space to describe some of the insane effects I’ve observed, but I can’t do that this time because items are a little too mysterious. You can check the description of any item you’ve acquired, and while they’re usually engaging, they tend towards useless. I’m fine with trial and error, but why even bother providing a description that gives no practical information?

Weapons, on the other hand, I’m always excited to find. They’re plentiful on some runs and in pitifully short supply on others, but they’re always fun to play with. Each weapon behaves just differently enough to make it feel like an entirely new experience, and changing between weapon types — spear to sword, for example — makes you rethink your combat strategy.

There’s an element of persistence between runs that should, in theory, make each subsequent playthrough a little easier. That’s kinda-sorta the case, but the amount of grinding needed to make any meaningful difference borders on laughable. You retain some experience from each run – it’s still a mystery how the game determines the exact amount – that you can use to increase ten different attributes. It sounds reasonable, and I was on board until I bought my first rank. Sadly, each purchase yields a miserable 1% increase in the chosen stat. That alone I can deal with, but the price increases globally with every single point spent. That means even if you buy a rank of dexterity, the cost jumps up for mobility, fortitude, and everything else. Additional bits of progression apparently exist in the form of new characters, schematics, and items, but I’ve yet to find any.

I guess I should just be happy that some persistence exists to complement the difficulty. There’s a steep learning curve at the beginning of the game, but it’s mostly due to a lack of direction and the initial adjustment to the slow-paced weapon animations. The difficulty feels especially brutal for the first hour, then levels out as you start to understand how it all works. It’s still tough, though perhaps not the right kind of tough. I felt like my best runs were more often a result of luck than actual skill, and I don’t love that feeling.

In Celebration of Violence incorporates a few other elements that are worth a brief mention, though many I still don’t understand. Spells and potions spice up the combat system, but once again you’re forced to figure out the effects on your own. There’s also a ‘fog of war’ effect that rotates as you move, an ingredient collection mechanic that’s used to purchase item and weapons, boss scenarios connected to each area, and hunger management. Oh, and experience serves as the primary currency, forcing you to choose between immediate upgrades and permanent stat increases after you die. Whew. I’m sure there’s more I still haven’t discovered, too.

EARLY ACCESS VERDICT

Although I’m on the fence about In Celebration of Violence, I would still recommend it to roguelike fans who enjoy having to figure things out. I know I’ve mentioned that multiple times as a negative, but after some retrospection I’ve realized that’s why I keep starting again after each death. I just want to know more. I still think that questionable design elements bog down combat, item use, and progression, but that’s not quite enough to suck the joy from the experience.

Viking Squad, a lane-based brawler developed by Slick Entertainment Inc., drops you into the boots of a viking warrior. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable beat-em-up experience with precise combat, tight controls, and a rewarding progression system.

First things first: Viking Squad isn’t a story-driven game. The viking narrative is one that’s rich with lore, drama, and seriousness, but you won’t find any of that here. Rather, you’re just a regular viking on a humorous quest to re-open the gates of Valhalla by recovering a series of gems stolen by the mischievous Loki. Simple, straightforward, and just enough to push you from one beautiful locale to the next.

Your quest takes you through environments ranging from dark, frigid caves to cemeteries, rooms covered in purple gloop, and even to a boxing ring, and all of them are pleasant and charming to play through. Plus, the cartoony graphics are a perfect fit for the silliness of the game, and the soundtrack that alternates between ultra-relaxing ukulele tunes and soft rock-and-roll does a superb job of rounding out the atmosphere. Solid level design backs up all of that, with each area featuring a happy mix of obstacles and enemies that keep combat lively and fun.

Loot, Pillage, & Smash Everything That Moves

That brings us to what Viking Squad is all about – beating stuff up – and it’s a grand time. Combat takes place across four vertical lanes – you’re free to jump and dodge between them at will, but so are your enemies. It’s largely a game of pattern recognition and good timing, though you can brute force your way through some fights, especially with the ability to guzzle potions as needed. Still, potions aren’t exactly in high supply until later in the game, so there is some element of resource management until you reach that point.

With four characters to choose from, any player should be able to find a comfortable fit, and they play differently enough to warrant spending at least some time with each of them. You start the game armed with a few basic attack combos and a more powerful rune attack that’s on a short cooldown timer. There’s one more attack that more or less wipes out everything on the screen, but you have to collect four orbs and spend a few coins to activate it. The orbs aren’t extremely rare and they can be purchased in town, but it does take some time to build up a charge. Overall, your attacks are varied enough to keep combat fresh, and they provide multiple ways to approach a fight.

One of my biggest gripes with this type of game is enemy diversity, and I have to say that it’s not bad here, though similar areas feature one too many re-skins. Later levels do offer new enemy types, but the attack patterns don’t really change enough for anything to feel truly different. As a result, it starts to feel a little samey as you move towards the end of the game. Frequent boss fights do help to shake up the monotony of beating up similar enemies over and over, and although they’re quite enjoyable, only a few require a substantial amount of focus and skill to best.

Of course, you can’t have a viking game without looting and pillaging, and Viking Squad has plenty of that. As you complete each level, you’ll collect two types of currency: treasure and coins. There’s a town hub area that you can sail to between levels where you can spend both. Treasure upgrades your character’s stats and can be used to purchase new pieces of equipment, while coins let you buy potions, keys that open locked doors and treasure chests, and more. Coins are persistent across levels, but unspent treasure disappears upon exiting town, incentivizing you to move to the next level without a town stop.

ONE STEP AHEAD OF REPETITION

Viking Squad edges back and forth across the line of repetition, but never fully crosses over to the dark side. There are just enough elements in play to keep the experience exciting and prevent the sad slide into boredom. As you level up your character, additional attack combos unlock and your rune ability strengthens and evolves. There’s also a generous amount of equipment to collect in the form of weapons and armor, and each piece comes with its own set of strengths. Neither changes the core equation of the game, but together they do enough to encourage you to continue fighting.

You’re also free to repeat past levels for extra treasure as often as you like, and unless you’re a pro, there are times when you’re going to have to do this. I found the difficulty jump between areas to be mostly reasonable, but I did occasionally revisit previous maps to build up my stats and collect enough treasure to buy stronger gear. Most levels come with a mystery area to unlock (and usually a good laugh along with it), however, and that alone makes them worth replaying.

Just in case you’re still worried about repetition, there’s always co-op mode. I ran solo for most of my time with Viking Squad, but I have to admit that the three-player online and local co-op definitely spices up the experience. It’s a lot more frantic, but it still feels balanced and the enemies scale to the number of players. Add a beer or two to the mix and you’re in for a satisfying Saturday night.

VERDICT

Viking Squad is a genuinely fun hack-and-slash affair that doesn’t take itself too seriously and always manages to stay one step ahead of repetition. The story is so minimal it’s not even worth mentioning, but it’s not the main focus of the game. Brawling is, and even though it doesn’t stray too far from the usual, it’s done well. Combat requires timing and coordination with a splash of resource management and the loot system gives you a reason to keep pushing forward. If you like side-scrolling beat-em-up style games, there’s no reason you won’t find a good time in Viking Squad.

Aragami, a passion project from Lince Works, is a real stealth experience that won’t baby you. It rewards players for careful, intelligent thinking and flawless execution of its unique mechanics, and that’s what makes it so likable.

Mysterious beginnINGS & dangerous enemies

You’re awakened in a cemetery by a mysterious white-robed woman named Yamiko. According to her, you’re an Aragami – a spirit summoned once again to life through an ancient, powerful ritual – and she needs your help. You’re given the usual bad people are doing bad things speech, and then you’re thrust forward into the action.

Early on, it feels just like any other damsel-in-distress tale. By the end of the first few chapters, bit and pieces do start to come together, and it does eventually stray from this path. For the most part, the story of Aragami is thoughtful and engaging, and it unwinds at a pleasant pace. There should be enough enjoyable twists and turns to hold your interest, but it is a touch too predictable. And, for better or worse, it’s mostly overshadowed by the other aspects of the game.

Your quest takes place over the span of a single night and will see you through 13 diverse chapters, all of which are a dream to play through due in large part to the pretty cel-shaded visuals and environments reminiscent of feudal Japan. The world feels alive and vibrant, and it’s worth setting aside a moment to relax on a high perch and take it all in, despite your precarious situation.

When you descend back into reality, you’ll remember that there are enemies out there – dangerous warriors of light known as the Kaiho – who will stop at nothing to prevent you from reaching Yamiko. Enemy variety is somewhat limited, but later in the game you’ll encounter tense boss fights that force you to make use of every skill at your disposal. Each mission requires a similar level of focus, as levels in Aragami aren’t linear and there’s truly more than one path to the finish. Additionally, enemy AI is reasonably intelligent, and placement and pathing feel just right – difficult at times, but never impossibly so. Thorough exploration of each level is also rewarded – it’s up to you to locate skill books that will unlock your powerful shadow abilities.

Perfectionists will appreciate the end-of-chapter scoresheet that slaps you with a number and letter score based on your performance, plus relevant stats like how many collectables you found and how many times you were detected. It’s a welcome addition that extends the replayability of the game, especially for players who enjoy score chasing. You also have the chance to acquire seals, special achievements awarded for accomplishing difficult tasks, like completing a level without killing a single enemy.

SHADOWS ARE LOVE, SHADOWS ARE LIFE

I need to get something off my chest: I’m not particularly good at stealth games. It’s not that I don’t have the coordination or skill, but rather it’s a complete and utter lack of patience that plagues me. In Aragami, players without patience don’t last long, and I learned that lesson quickly.

If you’re spotted, you have a split second to act before you’re slashed down with a blazing sword (or arrow) of light. It’s actually quite terrifying, and one-hit death forces you to exercise extreme caution as you approach each situation. But, being an undead assassin, you’re armed with unique abilities that let you use and shape shadows to your will. These shadow mechanics are the defining factor of Aragami. They lay the foundation for combinations that feel masterful to execute and allow for myriad ways to achieve a goal. Leaping into a shadow right behind an enemy and immediately scoring a sweet stealth kill is supremely satisfying, and it’s available right from the start. As you venture through the game you’ll unlock additional shadow abilities that are equally enjoyable to use. The feeling you get watching your vortex of shadows swallow an enemy whole for the first time…words just don’t do it justice.

You won’t only use your abilities to kill, though. Missions frequently required me to be quick-thinking with my ability use and to plan my shadow leaps ahead of time. Once you get the hang of it, there’s so much freedom of movement that it’s hard not to smile as you make your way through each level, especially since everything generally feels fluid. I did experience occasional frame rate drops and minor lag time transitioning into and out of cutscenes, but it never impacted the gameplay in a meaningful way.

It may sound like you’re nearly invincible, but being a creature of the shadows does have a drawback – sources of bright light almost immediately drain your power, rendering your abilities useless. This is compounded by two restrictions on your more powerful abilities: they’re limited in use and must be recharged via shrines located across the map. I appreciated this limitation, as it encourages you to think twice before throwing your last kunai.

Maybe you don’t even bother unlocking the kunai ability because it’s not your style. That’s okay, too. Varied skill trees allow you to build a shadowy killer specific to what you enjoy. While you’re certainly free to spec into purely defensive abilities like the rather handy temporary invisibility, you’re not locked into a purely avoidance role. If leaving enemies alive makes you feel antsy, you can become an offensive powerhouse who shows no mercy.

For fans of multiplayer, there’s also an online co-op mode that lets you play through the entire campaign with a friend. Don’t worry if that friend isn’t playing on the same system as you – there’s crossplay between PS4 and PC. I personally didn’t experience this aspect of the game, however, and it’s not factored into this review. But come on, two vengeful spirits are better than one, right?

VERDICT

Aragami is a beautifully-crafted stealth experience that introduces a genuinely fun way to traverse levels and fight – or avoid – your enemies. Non-linear level design and varied character abilities create a sizable amount of player choice and lend great replayability to the game. You will encounter plenty of challenging situations over the course of your 8 to 12 hour adventure, but it always feels like you’re in control of your fate. Plus, there are plenty of hidden goodies to collect and milestones to achieve for the completionist gamer. Aragami is absolutely worth a buy, even for those who don’t think they like stealth games, but you have to understand that all-out melee isn’t an option. This game rewards patience and cunning, and it feels oh so good when you come out on top.

Admittedly, first look may not be a particularly apt title, as Battle Brothers released via Steam Early Access well over a year ago. But hey, it’s my first look, and I have to say that I like what I’m seeing.

Battle Brothers is a turn-based tactical RPG lathered with generous helpings of polish, depth, and difficulty. Everything comes together – the mercenary character models, the look of the towns, the sounds of both battle and peacetime – to reinforce a decidedly stark theme that reminds me of The Black Company.

For those who aren’t fantasy novel junkies, The Black Company tells the grim tale of a group of mercenaries moving through life, doing what they do best: killing and dying. It’s been a number of years since I read the book, but Battle Brothers evokes many of the same despairing emotions. You get close to your mercenaries, watch them die, and realize that sometimes life just sucks. But you gotta keep fighting the good fight, you know?

If that resonates with you – and you love strategic turn-based gameplay – then you’re in for a treat with Battle Brothers.

BROTHERS STAND TOGETHER

Battle Brothers places you into the boots of a newly appointed captain of a ragtag band of mercenaries. You’re thrust into the position after watching your previous commander fall in battle, and you’ll fall too if you aren’t careful – but you won’t fall alone.

Thanks to a recruitment system similar to Darkest Dungeon, you have access to a seemingly endless amount of “brothers”, or mercenary recruits. Each city features a hiring section that allows you to pick and choose characters to add to your band. I love how convenient it is, but often found myself frustrated with the lack of information provided. I appreciate that each character has a backstory, but that doesn’t tell me if they suck at ranged combat or if they have a perk that gives them extra hitpoints. Currently, there just isn’t enough information to drive your decisions.

But, depending on your skill level, this doesn’t always have a lasting impact. Death in Battle Brothers is swift and unforgiving, and it’s important to understand that you will lose your brothers. Enemies will stuff them full of arrows, decapitate them (this happens often and I have to admit, the animation makes me smile), and cackle as they bleed out to previously-inflicted wounds.

If your brothers manage to survive for long enough, they will get stronger and more deadly. As your mercenaries level up, they receive points that you can spend to improve stats and acquire specialized perks. This gives you the ability to shape a mercenary into the man (killing machine) you want him to be. And yes, all of the characters are men. We’ll chalk that up to women being too intelligent and essential to society to waste on some blood-soaked battlefield. But seriously, can we get female recruits, please?

BATTLE LEADER, OR TEAM MANAGER?

The honest answer: both. Success in Battle Brothers relies not only on decisive execution of your battle plans, but also on the choices you make prior to entering combat. I feel okay saying that you need to like micromanagement to like this game. Outside of battle, you’re required to manage bits and pieces that regularly deplete like rations, tools, and medicine, along with the many members of your band.

At a basic level, each mercenary needs to be equipped with weapons, armor, and accessories. As you start to progress through the game, however, your band will transition from expendable farmers and cutthroats to specialized warriors through management of stats and perks. It’s essential to create a balance that doesn’t push you too far into a single corner, and that’s something you’ll have to work at between battles.

When you finally make it onto the field of glory, you’re presented with a hex-based grid system filled with obstacles, hiding places, and height differences. It feels a lot like playing a board game and that’s not at all a bad thing. Early on, you’ll spend much of your battle time squashing small groups of bandit thugs, but don’t get comfortable. Prepare yourself for dire wolves, orcs, and powerful necromancers that can raise the dead.

Your mercenaries expand action points to move, use abilities, and heal. It’s straightforward enough, but compounded by the addition of a mechanic called fatigue. It builds up with each action – a character at the fatigue limit won’t be able to act. Did I mention there’s morale, too? And terrain advantages (and disadvantages). Yeah, well, let’s not beat around the bush: there’s a lot to manage.

At this point, you’ve probably realized that battle isn’t just a simple hack-and-slash affair – not even close. Battle Brothers also features a range of abilities based on the equipped weapon. Spears, for example, allow the use of an ability called spear wall that damages enemies that move into range, while other weapons carry their own unique abilities. This is a nice strategic element that forces you to think long and hard about the composition of your band.

NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST

In its current state, Battle Brothers doesn’t offer any overarching story. You’re not trying to turn the tide of a war-swept country or win the trust of a noble king. Rather, you will spend your time bouncing from town to town, taking contracts as you stumble upon them. It does feel aimless at times, but the rest of the gameplay features so much depth that it’s easy to overlook. Still, I’d like to see a campaign – even an optional one – in the final version.

It’s also mildly frustrating that you’re only allowed to grab a single contract at a time. I don’t know about you guys, but I picture myself as the kind of mercenary captain who takes everything he can get. This isn’t a big complaint by itself, but we haven’t talked about travel yet, and that compounds the problem.

Traversal in Battle Brothers is accomplished via an overworld map. It’s easy to navigate and should feel familiar to fans of the genre, but it’s so, so, so slow. I found myself twiddling my thumbs and checking Facebook as my battle-scarred warriors crawled from one town to the next. Needless to say, a fast-forward button would be much appreciated.

BARELY EARLY ACCESS

Honestly, Battle Brothers feels like a full release title. It’s packed with content, and even though the act of contract-hopping doesn’t always feel meaningful, the complex mechanics more than make up for it. If you like games with layers of strategy and management coupled with a grim atmosphere and little sympathy for your mistakes, then you need to add this to your collection.

Just as a quick side note, Battle Brothers has been in early access for quite a while. It’s due to release in early 2017 and will feature a number of welcome additions. Expect a long-term goal to work towards, world-shaping endgame scenarios, improved world dynamics and much more. If you’re a patient person, it might be worth waiting a few more months for all of this. It’s up to you, but it’s definitely worth checking out the developer’s road map to release before making a decision.

Dungetris is a mish-mash of genres – roguelike, puzzler, and RPG. It attempts to do a lot…but does it do anything well? Let’s find out.

As soon as I loaded the first level, I remember thinking that the visuals fit the theme of the game extraordinarily well. They’re simple, but so is Dungetris – it’s a great match. In fact, I thought that Dungetris might be too simple, that it might not offer enough depth or challenge to entertain for long.

Man, was I wrong. We’ll get there, but first, the basics. Dungetris begins with a quick character selection – and when I say quick, I mean it, as the warrior is the only class currently available to play. From there, you’re teleported onto a linear overworld map and your adventure begins.

Each level in Dungetris features an objective that you have to accomplish to proceed to the next. The first level takes less than a minute to complete, while later levels are increasingly demanding and difficult. In addition to the “campaign” levels, there’s a survival mode that’s unlocked after completion of the first level. It’s great to see this implemented so early in the game’s development and it’s a perfect reason to continue playing after finishing the base content.

COMPLEXITY WRAPPED IN SIMPLICITY

Gameplay in Dungetris plays out in two modes and the transition between them is surprisingly fluid. First, you have to lay the blocks. They hover at the top of the screen – just like in Tetris – and you drop them into place. It seems easy at first, especially since you can’t rotate the blocks, but good placement requires long-term strategy and forward-thinking. You have to carefully choose where to place hallways, monsters, chests, and more. In the future, I’d love to see an outline of what the block is going to look like when I drop it into place. Even after getting the hang of it, I still made the occasional mistake because the move didn’t play out like it did in my head.

The second thing you’ll be doing in Dungetris is dungeon-crawling, hence the other half of the name. You kill baddies, level up, and loot treasure – you know, the usual. Each move you make is a turn, and monsters move with you. You have to juggle avoidance with action and collection. But, instead of collecting items, you’ll collect cards. Some are single use, allowing you to heal yourself or freeze an enemy, while others provide benefits that last for a set number of turns. It’s a refreshingly fun take on power-ups that adds an additional layer of strategy to the game. Plus, after you make it past the first few levels, you gain access to a shop that trades a variety of cards in exchange for your hard-earned coins.

There’s one more piece that factors into how you play: skills. Right now, they’re pretty limited. The warrior has two of them — one is a long-range teleport at the cost of health and the other boosts damage after a string of monster kills. With the future addition of more character classes, these skills should offer yet another layer of replayability.

BALANCE? NOT SO MUCH

It doesn’t take long to realize that there are major balance issues with Dungetris, and this is my biggest problem with the game. I don’t think they’re obxnoxious enough to make the game unplayable, but they will frustrate you. The monsters are ridiculously overpowered and will often destroy you in three or four hits. To make this even worse, enemy generation doesn’t scale with your level. I’m not a fan of being surrounded by enemies with 200 hitpoints, at least not compared to my measly 15. I’m all for difficulty, but I wanna fight things, damnit. I found myself running away from battle more often than not. Just check out the photo below — one lousy kill in seven minutes of play.

I do want to note that you have a large amount of control over the placement of monsters, at least until you start to make less than ideal moves and you run out of building space. With intelligent block placement, you can seal the toughest enemies away for good. This helps offset my complaint about balance, but I still hope future updates make combat more viable.

Even if you adopt a cowardly run-away-from-everything tactic like me, you will eventually die in Dungetris. It is a roguelike, after all. However, your progress doesn’t completely wipe on death. You lose the castle you built, but you keep the hand of cards you’ve collected and your character progression. Though some might find this too forgiving, it’s a welcome mechanic that helps offset the lack of balance I mentioned earlier.

PACKED WITH POTENTIAL

Back to that question I posed at the start: does Dungetris do anything well? It absolutely does. There’s a lot of potential here, especially considering this is the first week of early access, and I’d say it’s worth picking up right now. The worst things you have to deal with are overpowered enemies and spotty translation, both of which are easy to look past. I’m excited to see what additional characters and levels, better balancing, and a bit more polish will add to this already satisfying experience.

In Dungeon Souls, a roguelite action game from Lamina Studios, you’re tasked with fighting your way through procedurally-generated dungeons, each kill bringing you one step closer to reaching the final showdown with the Dungeon Master. Along the way, you’ll battle hordes of monsters, gather powerful items, and unlock permanent character upgrades.

We’re going to start with a question, and it’s an important one. It will both define and give meaning to your time with Dungeon Souls…

Who Will You Die As?

You’re going to die a lot in this game. Like, a lot, so the first thing you need to do is choose a class that makes the experience gratifying. Luckily, this is something that Dungeon Souls does particularly well. While you start with only three basic classes – the Barbarian, Archer, and Thief – you will quickly unlock additional classes with more depth and varied playstyles. It should go without saying that this does wonders for the replayability of the game.

Tough melee classes like the Barbarian and Warrior have high hit points and defense, while run and gun ranged classes rely on fast movement and high damage. As you level up during play, you receive stat points to spend on your favorite attributes, allowing for experimentation from run to run. In terms of skills, each class features three of them, and you’re able to level them up as you go, too. I wasn’t a fan of the high cooldowns attached to two of the three skills – often 10 seconds or more – but considering that they almost single-handedly clear entire rooms, I can at least understand the decision. On a more positive note, the skills are fun to use, and made me feel like an all-powerful master of the dungeon.

I was also pleased to find that each class really did feel different. With the Necromancer, I mainly relied on my skeletal minions to clear the way while I fired bolts of destruction from behind the lines. I didn’t have this luxury as the Brawler; I was forced to embrace my inner berserker, dashing and slashing my foes into oblivion. I do feel that the melee classes are somewhat underpowered, however. I’m sure this is partially due to a lack of invincibility frames, like Enter The Gungeon’s lovely dodge roll. It’s tough to find even a moment’s safety from incoming damage in this game, and that’s especially punishing on the close-range classes.

Without a way to escape damage, I have to admit that I did feel salty after some of my deaths. I felt like they simply couldn’t be avoided, like my skill really didn’t matter. Sometimes I let myself get backed into a corner or I was too slow to pop a potion, but more often than not my massive-damage skills were on a ridiculously long cooldown and I just couldn’t deal enough wreckage without them. On the plus side, there is an easy difficulty option for those who find themselves frustrated with the default difficulty.

Colorfully Vibrant, Yet Dark And Gritty

Dungeon Souls combines two seemingly opposite attributes into an eye-pleasing oxymoron. Each level exudes a dark and gritty vibe that’s painted with a vast array of colors. Get ready for greens, blues, purples, and everything in between. It’s blindingly bright at times, but I’ll gladly take that over dull and soulless grays, browns, and blacks. As for the music, it’s surprisingly relaxing, given the nature of your situation – always at death’s door. At times, it feels a little too disarming. I’m not sure it’s the most appropriate choice for a game like this, but man, I dig it.

The level and enemy generation both have enough variance to remain interesting, but not so much that you should expect an entirely unique experience every time. On each level, your job is to activate a number of “marks” that spawn a horde of enemies. Expect to encounter a typical gathering of monsters that includes skeleton warriors, fat green slimes, and tricksy apparitions. The levels themselves are also enemies worthy of your attention. Traps litter each dungeon, providing a frustratingly fun layer of entertainment. On the flip side, you can use the traps to your advantage, too. Line your enemies up, pop the trap, and watch the rolling boulder turn them into mush.

Every few levels, you’ll also get the opportunity to try your hand at a boss fight. The bosses I’ve encountered so far have featured limited mechanics, but they still provide a nice change of pace and lots of loot. There’s also a boss-like creature that spawns if you take too long to end the level after activating the last mark. It’s called the Redeemer, and it’ll end your run way ahead of schedule if you stick around to see it in the flesh.

Items, Potions, and permanence

Items are a significant aspect of Dungeon Souls. You’ll loot them from the dead, snag them from treasure chests, and purchase them from the dumbest merchant on the planet (seriously, what kind of crazy soul sets up shop in a dungeon?). Typically, items provide bonuses to core stats, like movement speed and damage. You’ll also find rare treasure with more unique perks like the Shoes of Haste, pictured below.

Similar to many action RPGs, you’re likely to find yourself relying on health potions. While some damage comes way too fast to handle, a well-timed potion can and will save your run. I’d rather see a heavier reliance on player skill, especially considering the high drop rate of potions, but the inclusion is understandable given the lack of invincibility abilities.

In addition to gathering items during runs, you also have access to an area called the Arcane Forge via the main menu. You’re able to use collected scrap materials to fashion powerful – and persistent – pieces of equipment. However, these items are locked behind recipes that must first be found. The mechanic for actually finding them is largely enjoyable and worth figuring out for yourself, so I won’t spoil it here.

Speaking of persistence, you also have the option of purchasing passives and ranking up your favorite classes. Passives provide permanent stacking bonuses (think Rogue Legacy) like boosts to health regeneration, critical hit chance, and magic resistance. They’re pricey, but well worth the investment. Ranks, on the other hand, accumulate at the cost of time. The more you play each class, and the better you do, the more powerful that class becomes. It’s a nice touch that rewards long-term play with one or two characters.

A Note On Controls

I spent most of my time playing Dungeon Souls – roughly five hours total – with a PS4 controller. The controller support is adequate, but just barely. Navigating the menus proved clunky and mildly irritating, and if that were the only problem, I probably wouldn’t even mention it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I found aiming with ranged classes like the Archer and Necromancer to be particularly difficult with the controller. So much so that I disconnected it after two pathetic attempts with the Archer. I then switched over to mouse and keyboard controls – again with the Archer – and had my best run yet. If you’re planning to play solely with a controller, you might want to hold off until the developer implements full controller support.

Shaping Up Nicely, indeed

With colorful levels, unique classes, and a sizable helping of difficulty, Dungeon Souls is shaping up to become an enjoyable roguelite title. Not that it’s not enjoyable now, of course, but it’s still rough around the edges with underwhelming melee classes and poor controller support.

In Caveblazers, a permadeath platforming adventure from Rupeck Games, the goal is simple: descend through as many levels as possible before you meet your inevitable end. It’s a punishing but rewarding journey; such is the life of a poor, stranded adventurer.

Similar to other games in the genre, Caveblazers throws you right into the thick of things with minimal hand-holding. You start with a sword, a bow, two bombs, and a wimpy healing item. More than expected, but hardly enough to see you safely through the trials ahead.

But hey, that’s okay. Your character will get stronger and you’ll collect all sorts of handy items as you drop deeper into the cave system. It seems everything has the potential to reveal an item, including destructible objects like barrels and crates. There are fire swords, mysterious potions with no description, and many other trinkets to uncover (and purchase) as you hop and chop your way through the caves. While there are some instant-use items, like food and bombs, you’ll need to charge many of the other items you find. Don’t worry – you can easily accomplish this with a few well-placed arrows and sword swings.

As you progress through each level, you’ll also run into bright white floating icons – these are called blessings. You want them. They range from odd to extremely powerful, and always make for a more interesting run. I’m not sure they’re plentiful enough to allow you to create a specific build for your character, but it’s probably possible. A few blessings I’ve encountered: shoot two arrows at a time; increased projectile size; and have the chance of firing off a lightning bolt with each attack.

Currently, you have to grab each bit of loot, including money, that enemies and objects drop. I’d love to see a collection system similar to Risk of Rain – cash automatically flies to you – implemented prior to release, but this is a small gripe.

Wait, Haven’t I Seen This Already?

As the name suggests, Caveblazers takes place in a series of cave-like environments. Each area is procedurally-generated and destructible, two points that lend greatly to the replayability factor. I’m sad to report, however, that there’s an alarmingly small amount of variation in the scenery. It could simply be that I haven’t yet ventured deep enough into the caves, but I’d still like to see greater changes between levels.

The same can be said of the monsters that will try to desperately to hack you into pieces, unfortunately. There are several mean-looking bosses, but the more common enemies could use additional variety. However, there is a unique mechanic that somewhat offsets the repetitive enemies, and it’s sure to keep you on your toes…

You’ll quickly learn that you’re not the only adventurer in these caves. In fact, you’re far from it. You’ll frequently encounter AI-controlled characters that look like you, act like you, and are just as strong as you. Some provide much needed aid, while others lunge straight for your throat and try their damnedest to kill you. I appreciate this mechanic, and it certainly keeps me focused, but at times the amount of other adventurers is overwhelming.

A Sense Of Progression

Inevitably, all adventurers must meet an untimely end. Your death results in two parts sadness, one part nifty progression status bar that fills up based on the success of your run. The better you do, the more points you get. These points automatically unlock items and perks for use in future runs. While item unlocks simply add new item drops to the loot pool, perk unlocks allow for a more permanent type of customization.

Before the start of each run, you have the option of selecting a perk in the hub area. Essentially, these perks are character enhancements that offer varying bonuses. The Archer perk, for example, provides a ranged weapon boost by increasing damage and arrow speed. On the other hand, the Sorcerer perk provides nice benefits for magic users. This customization is much-appreciated and allows for significant playstyle variation from run to run.

Just One More Run

Though it’s still in an early state, Caveblazers certainly succeeds in pressuring me into attempting just one more run. It does lack variety and polish, but the developers appear to be making improvements in both areas with each major update. Keep an eye on this title if you’re a fan of fast-paced rogue-lite platformers.

This Steam Early Access title is a 2D action RPG with features similar to the likes of Diablo and Torchlight. You run through a procedurally-generated world with one specific goal in mind: slaughter everything that moves and grab the goodies. Of course, there’s also some semblance of story to help usher you from act to act – a magical device, fallen heroes of yore, that sorta thing – but the full text is yet to be implemented. It’s a simple gameplay loop, but one that has proven once again to captivate.

As of now, Chronicon features three fully playable story acts with two more to be completed by the time of release. Unfortunately, there’s little in the way of lore – that appears to be coming in a later update. Until then, you won’t receive much from the story other than a few paragraphs of largely uninteresting dialogue for each quest. It would be nice to have more here, but it is early access, after all.

Each act showcases a specific type of area – castle dungeon in Act 1, Elven forest in Act 2, and so on. While several smaller maps with varying layouts comprise each of these larger areas, the scenery never really changes. The environments aren’t exactly what I’d consider exciting, and I do wish there was more diversity.

Classes and Skills

Chronicon lets you choose from four unique classes split evenly between melee and ranged. You can bash and smash foes from up close with the Templar and Barbarian, or rain hell from a safe distance with the Warden and Warlock. Each class comes equipped with four different element-based skill trees, allowing for playstyle variance not only between classes, but also between individual class builds.

I’ve spent the bulk of my time in Chronicon with the Warden, a hard-hitting ranger with great mobility. I initially had some concerns about the viability of each skill tree, but a few hours of experimentation put those to rest. I’d like to see more variance in the playstyle of each tree, but it’s at least nice to know that I’m not pushed into a certain build (at least not yet). Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the comparison of melee and ranged classes. Though I haven’t put as much time into the melee classes, they do seem noticeably weaker than the Warden. The developer appears to be aware of this issue, however, and I’m sure future updates will continue to provide balancing adjustments.

Sweet, Sweet Loots

I know, I know – classes are cool and all, but what about the loot? It’s everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Think skyscraper-sized piñata that explodes after each fight. I love a good hack-and-slash looter, but there’s almost too much to handle, even during the early levels. Though you can find items that increase inventory space, the pure amount of gear – ranging from common to legendary – occasionally felt overwhelming. Oh, wait…THERE’S A NEW LEGENDARY, GIMME!

What can I say? Once a loot addict, always a loot addict.

Now is probably a good time to mention that there is a convenient difficulty slider that pops up prior to each gaming session, and that loot scales with difficulty. I feel like this should be a given in this genre, but still, it’s worth taking the time to point out. Personally, I’m always happy to take on increasingly ridiculous hordes of monsters for a chance at better gear. I do wish I could actually see that gear on my character, though.

The visual quality of Chronicon is no slouch, either. The old-school pixel art graphics and animations aren’t top-of-the-class beautiful, but they’re certainly not ugly, especially if you’re a fan of this style. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the game’s music. Truthfully, it’s a minor complaint among the many positives of Chronicon, but it needs to be mentioned.

Additionally, there’s one more negative that I need to throw out there. It might just be me, but the movement and combat aren’t quite as smooth as I’m used to experiencing in ARPGs. I’m not exactly sure how to translate this feeling to words, but it sometimes feels like I’m playing at three-quarters speed. It’s not enough to seriously impact the enjoyability, and I do feel like it improves with progression, but some gamers might take issue with this. You’ve been warned.

A Great Start

Overall, Chronicon is shaping up to be a serious contender in its genre. Did I mention that the development team is just a single dude? Yeah, there’s that, too. Though Chronicon in its current state contains only three of the five story acts that the final version will feature, it’s absolutely worth a buy in its current state at $9.99. With four classes to play, tons of loot to collect, and a recently added endless dungeon mode (with increasing difficulty and loot!), there’s more than enough content to justify the purchase.

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